Jeremiah 29 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Here is what the letter said — the one that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles, to the priests, the prophets, and everyone else that Nebuchadnezzar had carried off from Jerusalem to Babylon.

This was after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the court officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen and metalworkers had been taken from Jerusalem.

He sent the letter through Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah — men that King Zedekiah of Judah had sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. The letter said:

"This is what Yahweh, the Commander of angel armies, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles I carried off from Jerusalem to Babylon:

Build houses and settle in. Plant gardens and eat what they produce.

Get married and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage so that they can have children too. Grow your numbers there — don't shrink.

Work for the good of the city where I've sent you into exile. Pray to Yahweh on its behalf, because when that city thrives, you'll thrive too."

Yes, this is what Yahweh, the Commander of angel armies, the God of Israel, says: "Don't let your prophets and fortune-tellers among you fool you. Don't listen to the dreams they keep having.

They are prophesying lies to you using my name. I never sent them," declares Yahweh.

This is what Yahweh says: "When Babylon's seventy years are up, I will come to you and make good on my promise to bring you back to this place.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares Yahweh, "plans to help you thrive, not to harm you — plans to give you a future filled with hope.

Then you will call out to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

You will look for me and find me when you search for me with everything you have.

I will let you find me," declares Yahweh. "I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and places where I've scattered you," declares Yahweh. "I will bring you back to the place I sent you away from."

But you've been saying, "Yahweh has raised up prophets for us here in Babylon" —

well, this is what Yahweh says about the king sitting on David's throne and all the people still living in this city — your relatives who didn't go into exile with you —

this is what Yahweh, the Commander of angel armies, says: "Watch — I'm going to send war, famine, and disease against them. I'll make them like rotten figs, so disgusting that no one would eat them.

I'll chase them down with war, famine, and disease. I'll make them horrifying to every kingdom on earth — a curse word, a horror story, something people hiss at, a disgrace among every nation where I've driven them.

This is because they haven't listened to my words," declares Yahweh, "even though I sent my servants the prophets to them again and again. But they wouldn't listen," declares Yahweh.

"So listen to what Yahweh says, all you exiles that I sent from Jerusalem to Babylon —"

This is what Yahweh, the Commander of angel armies, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies to you using my name: "I'm about to hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and he will execute them right in front of you.

Because of what happens to them, all the exiles from Judah in Babylon will use this curse: 'May Yahweh make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, the ones the king of Babylon roasted alive in the fire!'

This is because they've done outrageous things in Israel — they committed adultery with their neighbors' wives and spoke lies in my name that I never told them to say. I know what they did, and I am witness to it," declares Yahweh.

And to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, say this —

"This is what Yahweh, the Commander of angel armies, the God of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and to all the other priests. Your letter said:

'Yahweh has made you priest in place of Jehoiada the priest, to be the one in charge of security at Yahweh's temple. Your job is to put any madman who acts like a prophet into the stocks and the iron collar.

So why haven't you disciplined Jeremiah of Anathoth, who acts like a prophet to you people?

He's even sent a message to us here in Babylon saying, "The exile will be long. Build houses and settle in. Plant gardens and eat what they produce."'

Zephaniah the priest read this letter to the prophet Jeremiah.

Then Yahweh's message came to Jeremiah:

"Send this message to all the exiles: 'This is what Yahweh says about Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you even though I never sent him, and he has made you trust in a lie —

because of this, Yahweh says: I'm going to punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He won't have anyone left among this people, and he won't see the good things I'm going to do for my people," declares Yahweh, "because he has preached rebellion against Yahweh."